Pygmies

Statue of the dwarf
Seneb, his wife and
children, 4th or
5th dynasty

A few references from the Old Kingdom ‎(2707-2170 BC)‎ seem to refer  to the people known today as Pygmies. Small numbers of Pygmies  were  brought  to  Egypt  as  sacred  dancers.  They  are  found  in  the  Pyramid Texts, involved in the frenetic mortuary dance. The safe  arrival of a dancing Pygmy is a matter of concern to young Pepy II  in a letter to the expedition leader Harkhuf, recorded in his tomb at Aswan. These references imply that Pygmies danced especially for  the king, just as the king dances before the god. If  necessary,  a  dwarf  could  substitute,  suggesting  that  Pygmies  were  a  great  rarity  and  never  present  in  large  numbers.  Today  Pygmies live in the rain forests of central Africa, although there is  considerable  debate  regarding  the  antiquity  of  their  occupation  there.

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